The Hunger Games- Primrose Everdeen
by Madi1292
Summary: What would have happened if Katniss didn't volunteer for Prim? This story is what The Hunger Games may have been like if Prim was in the arena. Will she survive? Will she and Peeta team up?
1. Chapter 1

Prim woke screaming and sweaty from yet another nightmare. She could hardly remember screaming Katnisss' name in the middle of the night but soon enough Katniss was by her side stroking her long blonde hair.

"It's okay Prim. It's okay. Its just a dream." Katniss whispered softly.

"It was my name." Prim whimpered.

"Sh sh," Katniss said comforting her, "That's not going to happen I promise. Your name is only in there once they're not going to pick you." Prim nodded and tried as hard as she could to believe her sister's words. They laid in each others arms until it was time for Katniss to leave for her morning hunting trip. When Katniss left Prim slowly edged out of bed and walked into the next dull room to find her mother still sleeping. Quietly, she got dressed and went out the back door to see her goat, Lady.

"Hi Lady," she whispered. The goat came trotting towards her and began to eat from her hand. As she sat in the morning silence and stroked Lady her worrisome thoughts began to slowly fade away as if they were never there. Prim sat down and closed her eyes breathing in the fumes of her home, District 12. For one small serene moment she could forget everything and lose herself in nature.

Back inside, her mother had prepared a small breakfast of some herbs, katniss roots, and water. While she ate her mother carefully braided her hair into two braids. The house was so quiet it was hard not to let her mind romp around about the events that were to take place in just a few short hours. What does a mother say to their child on the day of their first reaping? How can they express all of their love for them? Prim tried to push these thoughts out of her mind as her mother brought out the best blouse and skirt she had. By the time she was dressed Katniss was walking through the door and stopped when she saw her sister.

"Oh Prim you look beautiful." Prim made a small turn so that she could see her entire body.

"Whoops! Better tuck in that tail little duck." She said playfully while tucking in the back of her white blouse. Katniss gave her a hug and headed back to her room to get dressed.

Prim sat down and tried to think of anything but the reaping. She thought of how her friend Rory, Gale's brother, was going through the same thing as she was at this moment. She wondered how her best friend Crystal was doing and if she was just as scared as she was. Probably not. Crystal was a lot braver than Primrose and that's why she liked her. Crystal brought imagination and adventure to her life. She was prim's light in this dull and horrible world. Coming out of her thoughts, she looked up to see her mother and sister walking out of the bedroom.

Prim couldn't take her eyes off of her sister. Katniss was not just beautiful, she was as radiant as the sun.

"I wish I looked like you," was all she could mutter out.

"Oh no prim I wish I"-the warning whistle calling everyone to the town square had interrupted her. Prim looked at katniss with a horrifying fear in her eyes.

"Prim look what I got you today," she said quickly. "It's a mockingjay pin. To protect you." She handed Prim a small and beautiful gold pin with an arrow on top of a soaring mockingjay. The second whistle was clearly heard through the cunning silence. Katniss held tightly to Prim and kissed her on the top of her head.

"Come on Prim we got to go." She said untangling her arms from her waist.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time they reach the square it's packed with almost every single person living in District 12. With Prim holding Katniss's hand, they slowly weaved their way through the mass of anxious kids. Once they had arrived at the sign in Prim was hit with a wave and couldn't control herself. She began to let her tears gracefully slide out of her eyes for the first time that day. Katniss stopped what she was doing and pulled them over to the side.

"Prim listen to me. It's okay they only want a little bit of blood." It wasn't just the prick Prim was worried about. All those horrible thoughts about getting picked now flooded back into her head. She couldn't take it. There were so many people towering over her and looking at her with so much sympathy she didn't know what to do. Katniss continued to stroke her hair and wiped her tears away.

"Think of the mockingjay Prim. Be strong. It's okay it won't hurt that bad." Prim finally nodded and they stepped back in line. As Katniss said, the prick only hurt for a second, making Prim have the strength to find her way to the roped off section with the other twelve year olds. She tried everything she could to find where Katniss was but all she could see was a sea of beige and grey clothing brushing past her.

Minutes later, Effie trinket, the mayor, and the ever so drunk Haymitch Abernathy arrived on stage and Crystal was now standing next Prim, making her feel a little more stable. Effie was looking more ridiculous than Prim could remember. Her white hair and flamboyant colors stood out like a blooming flower in a field of weeds. Prim wanted so badly to whisper a funny remark to her best friend like they usually would but the thought of actually speaking made her throat close up.

"Welcome! Welcome!" She exclaimed. "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor. Now before we begin we have a special film just for you all the way from the capitol!"

When the film began Crystal and Prim found each others clammy hands and clasped them together in a moment of sheer friendship. Prim decided she would repeat that horrid phrase over and over again to keep her mind calm. May the odds be ever in your favor, may the odds be ever in your favor, may the- the film had ended and Effie was now back at the microphone.

"All right boys and girls! Ladies First!" Crystal and Prim looked at each other in the grimmest way they ever had in their short lived lives. This was first time Prim ever recalled seeing Crystal so serious. While Effie made her way towards the clear bowl of ultimate terror Prim looked around one last time for Katniss and barley spotted her before hearing the two words she thought were unspeakable.

Primrose Everdeen.


	3. Chapter 3

The wind had been literally knocked out of her chest as Prim slowly began to realize that the name that was called was hers. Prim didn't know what to do. Everyone was staring at her but her feet felt as though they were cemented into the ground. She looked over at Crystal to see her horrified expression turn into a blooming expression of strength. She squeezed Prim's hand and said ever so quietly "Go Prim."

Prim looked round at everyone's unhappy faces and finally began to slowly walk as Effie Trinket said, "Come on dear. Come on up."

She felt light headed and confused as the crowd parted its ways for her as she made her way to the peacekeepers outside of the rope. She had begun walking to the stage when she heard "Prim! Prim!" It took her a moment to realize whom the voice was coming from. "Prim no!" Katniss! She whipped her head around to see Katniss pushing through the peacekeepers to get to her. "Prim I'm so sorry!" She choked out. Katniss had managed to wiggle her way through the peacekeepers and hug onto Prim as tightly as she could before the peacekeepers were dragging them apart.

"Get off me! Just get off me!" Katniss yelled as Gale showed up to carry Katniss away.

"Don't you touch her! Please don't let her die!" Katniss hollered.

"Katniss please don't go!" Prim shouted. She could barely see her now because of how large the peacekeepers were in front of her. Prim felt the brim of her eyes welling up and let one single tear slide down her face before trying to suck them in.

"I'm right here I promise! I love you prim!" Katniss could barely be heard now that Effie was back at the microphone. The crowd was now made to feel a bit uneasy. Nobody likes to watch a poor twelve-year-old girl and her sister be separated by such a looming thing such as death.

"Well well that was..um.. quite something wasn't it?" She said trying to regain the audiences' attention back to herself as Prim timidly mounted the stage.

"Well Miss Primrose Everdeen, who was that that you were.. saying goodbye to?"

There was some what of an awkward pause as Prim was staring out into the crowd trying as hard as she could not to burst into tears.

"Katniss Everdeen. My sister." She said as strongly as she could now making eye contact with Crystal.

"Oh my! I bet my buttons that was your sister wasn't it?" Prim looked now at Effie and suddenly felt a hatred that she had never felt. She hated that this woman, that this horrible crazy capitol woman was standing here helping announce the names of the children who were potentially going to be killed. For the first time in her life Prim wanted to hurt someone. Her tears were now tears of hate. All of those times she didn't understand what Katniss was saying when she always talked horribly about the Capitol now made sense.

"Yes." She said quietly. "And now you've taken her away from me." She said even quieter.

Effie now looked a bit discomforted much to Prim's liking.

"Alright then now for the boys." That women couldn't go a day in her life without being cheerful could she? Prim looked again into the crowd for her sister and found her clinging onto Gale. Katniss saw her gazing and immediately stood up straighter giving her a slight nod.

"Peeta Mellark." She heard Effie say. It didn't mean anything to Prim but the confused look on Katniss's face told her that somehow she knew him. She watched the blue eyed blond hair boy climb the stairs to the stage and did see a small recognition.

"Ladies and Gentlemen our District 12 tributes, Primrose Everdeen and Peeta Mellark! Shake hands you two!"

Prim looked over at Peeta and suddenly realized now that they were up close why she recognized him. For as long as she could remember Peeta Mellark had watched Katniss and Prim walk to school everyday from his bakery window. Even sometimes when Prim and Katniss would look at the cakes on display he would be noiselessly be standing in the back watching them. It wasn't a creepy stare of course but more of a longing and loving look.

His large masculine hand grasped her small delicate one and they finally looked at each other in the eyes. Prim could see everything he was possibly feeling through his large ocean eyes.

"Why don't we give them a nice round of applause!"

Those next 10 seconds could have possibly been the most embarrassing moment in Prim's life for not one single person in District 12 clapped their hands. There it was. There was a small flicker in the audience. One single person had lifted their left three fingers high into the air. Within seconds the entire square was beginning to press their left middle fingers to their lips and then into the air. Prim felt touched. Everyone in District 12 was wishing them farewell and goodbye in the most proper way they could. Her emotions were all over the place. She didn't know if she was mad, horrified, sad or all of the above. Breaking the petrifying silence was none other than the very drunken Haymitch Abernathy.

"I like these two! You young one," He said pointing at Prim, "You're a bit small but at least you're not some stupid cry baby! Ha!"

Prim was suddenly filled with so much hate that she couldn't control it. She stomped over to Haymitch and punched him square in the jaw. As soon as the deed was done she regretted it. Her hand was throbbing. She couldn't have really hit him that hard considering how small she was but the whole ordeal was a surprise not just for the entire crowd including a thunderstruck Effie Trinket but for herself. This is not the Primrose Everdeen she knew herself to be.

The Hunger Games hadn't even begun and already they were changing her.


End file.
